Observe Better Sleep Month
During the month of May, create a resolution that aims to improve your sleeping habits. Sleeping plays a big role in keeping healthy, so it is vital to improve any poor sleeping habits that you might have slipped into.
Steps
- Read the article called, How to Sleep Better. This article provides examples of good posture for effective sleeping. It also has great tips on creating a comfortable and peaceful sleeping environment.
- Start with yourself. Observe "Better Sleep Month" by making a commitment to yourself. Getting better sleep creates a positive attitude, eliminates procrastination, the need to sleep or crash at work or school. Be honest - are you getting enough sleep, or not?
- Have a family discussion about the value and importance of sleep. Sit down together and talk about how everyone feels about sleeping in general, and sleeping for each individual. To do this, you might want to look for materials online or in the library to share with your family. Good things to look for include information about:
- The amount of time each person needs to sleep
- Normal and abnormal sleeping patterns
- The problems caused by sleep deprivation (which is accumulative)
- The foods, drugs, drinks, and activities that can interfere with good sleep, etc., and the ways that you can replace these with substitutes that won't interfere with sleep.
- Create a family goal to improve sleeping patterns during the month. Set a time for each "age group" that the person belongs in, such as kid, tween, teenager, and adult/parent. Be sure that everyone stays on track with their own goal by not cheating or coming up with excuses like homework, partying, friends, and TV shows. The family may want to set curfews to help with getting "settled in" and prepared to go to sleep.
- Ensure that every household member gets at least six to eight hours of sleep. Young kids may need between seven and nine hours. And although there are a lot of studies about the minimum hours of sleep needed, we all vary and the best gauge of how much sleep we need is how we feel after sleeping - if we don't feel refreshed throughout the day, our length of sleeping needs adjusting up or down until we find the perfect length for our own body's needs. Make it a goal to find out and stick to your own sleeping needs.
- Avoid sitting or lying down on a bed if you are not planning on sleeping. Psychologically, your mind should link the words "bed" and "sleep", and your bedroom should be a place of peace and calm. The wikiHow article on creating a Zen bedroom has some good ideas to help you create a sleeping "sanctuary". It is also a good time to assess whether your bedroom is geared to helping you sleep properly. Consider the following:
- Understand what can cause children to suffer from sleep problems and address these problems. Children can have problems with nightmares and sleep terrors. Ask the kids if they have had bad dreams to draw on paper what they think happened. Ask if they have problems or difficulties sleeping and think about ways to address their disturbances: Are their mattresses and pillows comfortable for them? Do they have nightmares if they think something is in their closet or under the bed? Is something bothering them from outside like a branch scratching the window or a light shining off a tree so it looks like a monster? Fix the problem by reassuring them that there is nothing to be scared of, and by making their room more comfortable and cozy-feeling.
Tips
- If you or your children are suffering from ongoing sleep problems, it is important to seek advice from your health professional. Some medical conditions such as sleep apnea can be life-threatening.
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- American Psychological Association, Amount of Sleep Needed
- American Psychological Association, Children and Sleep Disturbances
